Cleanse
by Emo Fox
Summary: Zim floods the world of humanity. Drabble/Angst/Character Death/Dib-centric


"Cleanse"

'One-Shot'

By: Emo Fox

Dib couldn't comprehend the turn of events; it was just too much to take in.

The alien's words had died in the static all around him. Voices rang but words wouldn't process in Dib's brain. They had all been corralled like cattle into this area, pushing and shoving against each other with the panic that their inevitable doom had brought on them.

But Dib wouldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe it.

After all this time…

All this…

It was over.

Done.

The world was just going to be flushed, drowned, literally cleansed of any and all life.

Dib yelled and yelled, as loud as he could, trying to gain that Irken's attention but Zim wouldn't look at him. The alien seemed pre-occupied on watching the other humans scream and stumbled into one another yet no pleasure of victory was seen on his face.

Zim looked stoic, disinterested, almost bored.

Dib didn't understand, he couldn't understand, he didn't want to. This wasn't how things were supposed to end; this just wasn't how it was supposed to go!

He screamed the alien's name over and over again, ignoring the people as they tried to push him into the panicked wave. He kept his footing, his eyes rooted on Zim who remained above the crowd hovering in his space ship. Dib wanted Zim to look at him, he wanted an explanation, he wanted to be told this wasn't really over.

This couldn't be it.

It just couldn't.

Dib heard the rush of water; that hissing sound drowning out everything the people were trying to say. He had heard explosions; knowing the dams had been broken, knowing it was only a matter of time before they were all engulfed.

Dib's fists clenched at his sides and he squared his shoulders, looking up with as much defiance as he could muster – trying to hide the icy chill of fear he felt the moment the water lapped at his ankles.

He couldn't have failed.

This wasn't fair.

It wasn't supposed to be over like this.

All of humanity was going to die. Everyone was going to drown.

He lost.

All he felt was frustration and fear. He wanted answers, he wanted to know, and most of all he…

He wanted to be saved.

Dib wanted Zim to look at him, wanted him to reach for him, wanted him to pull him out of the abyss of nameless faces and acknowledge him. He wanted him to do at least that much; he wanted to be killed personally – not just like all the others.

He had thought Zim would have cared at least that much.

But Zim didn't look at him no matter how much he screamed, no matter how much he yelled. He kept those ruby eyes away from his and Dib didn't understand why.

Was he not even worth seeing in his last moments?

Dib felt the water pulse against his knees, up his thighs.

His heart was beating hard in his chest; pounding in his brain, his breathing irregular as he felt the hard grip of fear suffocating every fiber of his being.

He was going to die.

Right here, right now.

Dib forced himself to remain composed, forced himself not to beg and plea and stumble like everyone else. He prided himself to keep composed; to do at least that much, to try and show Zim didn't really win; that Dib wasn't actually so scared.

But as that water licked further, along his hips and finally up his chest his resolve started to crumble and frustrated tears pricked his eyes.

He didn't want it to end.

It couldn't be over.

It just…

Dib choked down his sob, feeling the water roll over his shoulders and up his neck.

Finally the fear won out and he called to Zim one final time.

_Take me with you._

In that moment Zim turned his eyes to him, almost as if looking at him for the first time.

The tears fell down Dib's cheeks without his consent, the waves engulfing the lower half of his face as he tried his best to keep that gaze – almost savoring it, knowing that there wasn't a way to avoid this fate.

Whether Zim said anything or not Dib didn't know.

He lost his footing as the last of the water rolled in, sweeping him under the torrent and he struggled desperately to keep his bearings.

He fought a sea of panicked bodies but his eyes remained on the surface. That shimmering light was shadowed by Zim's ship and he thought if only he could break that swell, if he could reach the top Zim would grab for him – would tug him into his ship and they would fly off into the stars.

If only he could make it to the surface.

Yet no matter how hard Dib swam he just couldn't seem to move closer to that shimmering light. People were everywhere; hitting him down, tugging at his clothes in their own desperate attempts to get closer to that light.

Dib gasped but didn't inhale; his lungs beginning to burn as he stared hard at the luminous shadow. He kept swimming, swimming and swimming and hoping beyond hope that Zim would reach down and pluck him up from the thrashing bodies and save him.

He wanted so badly to be saved.

To be wanted.

Dib choked as water filled his mouth; unable to hold off any longer as he took in big gulps of the thick liquid and felt himself begin to lose consciousness. The sides of his vision grew black as he stared hard at the shadowed spot on the top of the water.

So close…

So…

Dib didn't feel when his eyes closed, or when his body stopped responding. His systems began to shut down the moment his consciousness faded and he became another nameless corpse among the masses.

--

A/N:

Drabble inspired by, 'The little things give you away' by Linkin Park. Hope you enjoyed it.


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